Most of us sail through Stages 1 and 2, but research shows the majority of adults don’t progress past Stage 3. They are still fully functioning adults of course, but they lack a strong understanding of the nature of ‘self’ and much of what they think, feel and believe is dependent on the views and authority of others.

An example of someone operating from this stage would be a manager who only values the opinions and solutions of “experts” and is not open to ideas from less qualified or inexperienced team members.

The key to moving into higher stages of development is self-awareness, curiosity and reflection. We need to question what we believe and why. This requires objectively analysing and defining who we are, what we think and how we interact with others.

Questioning beliefs increases mental complexity‍

The manager in our example above could move into Stage 4 by questioning why they believe only an expert has the answer. Perhaps they don’t trust their own judgement or are worried it will backfire on them if they don’t follow the accepted path. If they can question conventional wisdom and trust their inner authority, they will be able to value the perspectives of others, increase team engagement, identify alternate solutions and lead with conviction and humility.

If they can question conventional wisdom and trust their inner authority, they will be able to value the perspectives of others, increase team engagement, identify alternate solutions and lead with conviction and humility.

But they could go even further. For our manager to reach Stage 5, it is not enough to simply question the status quo and find their own voice. They must also encourage and consider all contributions and competing perspectives without attaching to the outcome as a reflection of their leadership. They shift and adapt their beliefs in response to new information, acknowledge their limitations and evolve as a leader with every interaction.

‍A simple tool to question beliefs

In my Adaptive Teams and Adaptive Leaders programs, we train this mental complexity through an activity called ‘fact v story’. Participants pick an issue they’re stuck on and separate the elements of the issue into the facts as a video recorder would record them, and the stories they make up about the facts. Stories are any labels, judgements and beliefs, and are usually the source of stress, conflict and resistance. Exploring alternative stories trains their ability to evolve their beliefs to draw alternative conclusions and take different actions.

Each stage of adult development requires a new level of mental complexity, which is our expanding awareness of how we see ourselves in the world. With greater mental complexity, we can perceive more and take more effective action.

It’s important to be mindful of falling into the trap of believing a higher level is better than the level before. This just creates new ego traps that hold us back. Rather, we need to match the stage of adult development and mental complexity with the challenges we face.

Read the next article in this series on You can increase your mental complexity.